The Scenario

You are working for a fictional company from a sector of your choice (such as agriculture, manufacturing, services, telecommunications etc.) based in a country of your choice (you are encouraged to select a country you are NOT familiar with, eg Canada if you are an international student).

Jackie, the owner and CEO of the company, was recently invited to a conference and heard a very inspiring talk on sustainability and how it was becoming the "new normal" for businesses in the 21st century. She would like her company to do more about it, but she is not entirely convinced that there is a business case, and she is also afraid that this could be very difficult.

Jackie remembered that you had some training on sustainability and assigned you to research the matter further. She asked you to prepare a short research report, video presentation, or infographic on sustainability and how it relates to the company, so she can decide whether to pursue the matter further.

The Content

After some thought, you decide that your research should answer the following questions so that Jackie can make an informed decision:

1. What is sustainability and CSR? This provides Jackie with the necessary context to follow the rest of your report.

2. What are the sustainability challenges faced by your company's business sector? Identify three major challenges and explain why they are relevant.

3. What are the businesses in your sector doing to manage those challenges? For each challenge identified in Q2, describe actions and initiatives by the business sector. Identify specific best practices by individual companies.

4. What should Jackie do? Based on the above, describe three sustainability actions you would recommend to Jackie for the company to undertake. Consider how the current COVID-19 pandemic may impact your recommendation